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Another terror attack and more soul searching

Once again there has been a terror attack at a concert. This one in Manchester, United Kingdom. A suicide bomber killed 22 people and wounded 60 others mostly children. This when UK is the most surveilled country in Europe. One expert said there is an information overload and there 3,500 terror suspects under surveillance in UK. There is less human intelligence and active neighbourhood policing and too much dependence on cameras and tapes which can take many man hours to go through.

(Reuters photo)

Manchester is also a city that is home to many Muslim communities where some mosques and clerics urge their flock to practice the Wahabi strain of Islam.

In Saudi Arabia, which actively supports ISIS and other terror groups, there are no terror attacks. There is also no freedom. There are no such thing as human rights and the most rigid form of Sharia Law is practiced along with cutting of limbs and beheading. There are no concerts for teenage girls. This is a country where Wahabi preachers export a radical form of Islam to other countries. Where religious police are seen beating women who let an inch of their ankles show. And where the two holiest shrines of Islam are-Mecca and Medina.

This is also the country that President Trump went to on his first overseas visit and said, quite candidly, “Young Muslim boys and girls should be able to grow up free from fear, safe from violence, and innocent of hatred.”

Adding, “Few nations have been spared the violent reach of terrorism. America has suffered repeated barbaric attacks from the atrocities of September 11 to the devastation of the Boston bombings to the horrible killings in San Bernardino and Orlando. The nations of Europe have also endured unspeakable horror. So too have the nations of Africa and South America. India, Russia, China, and Australia have all been victims.”

Pointing out to the 44 Muslim heads of state that were present he said, “It should increasingly become one of the great global centers of commerce and opportunity. This region should not be a place from which refugees flee but to which new comers flock.”

In effect Trump pointed out that the refugee crisis was one of their own making.

He added, “There can be no coexistence with this violence. There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it. Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith. Terrorists do not worship God; they worship death. If we do not act against this organized terror, then we know what will happen and what will be the end result.

Terrorism’s devastation of life will continue to spread, peaceful societies will become engulfed by violence, and the futures of many generations will be sadly squandered.”

“America is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security, but the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them. The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their country, and frankly for their families, for their children. It’s a choice between two futures, and it is a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists.

Drive them out. Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land. And drive them out of this earth,” said President Trump.

I like the words but will Muslim leaders follow through. Will it at all make a dent with the clerics in Saudi Arabia and the Royal Family? I fear not. It is like telling North Korea to give up their nukes. This is a power game and just as the Pakistani’s shout, “We Have Nukes,” the Middle East shouts, “We are the birthplace of Islam and thus we have power over 1.5 billion Muslims.”

The victims of Manchester and all the other terror attacks will be just that-Victims. This is the sad reality and we must adjust to a world where we can be blown up or mowed down in a museum, a market place, a concert or a street.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .

Blog

The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .